Video: All The Little Upgrades In John Wall’s Game As Wiz Blowout Heat

In a little over 31 minutes John Wall played against the Heat on Monday night, he showed off some of the finest basketball we’ve ever seen from him in his still-young career. He found a nice balance between his own offense and getting teammates involved on his way to 18 points, 13 assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block. All of which led the Wizards to their blowout win over their Conference rivals the Heat, 107-86. Let’s look at his efficient night, with a special emphasis on those facets of his game he’s worked so hard to improve.

First off, Wall only attempted 10 shots, but he made six of them, including 2-of-4 from downtown. Still, it’s that mid-range jumper where Wall’s taken his largest strides since finally finding his niche in the NBA within such a loaded position. For a point guard in the NBA, they have to be able to knock down a mid-range jumper because so much of today’s offense revolves around the pick-and-roll, and defenders love to go under the screen so they’re not forcing a third help defender to scramble should the ball-handler get into the lane.

In the past, Wall would be off balance here, or rushing to get the shot up. But as you can see, he’s perfectly primed to take advantage after Chris Bosh jumps out on the high screen and Norris Cole can’t find his way back to Wall when he goes under the pick:

But Wall can still break a defender down off the dribble, it’s just he’s not bouncing into the lane without any idea what he’s going to do once he’s airborne. Watch him take an overmatched Shawne Williams off the dribble here after a switch, but instead of sprinting into the paint and tossing up an off-balance attempt near the rim, he’s under control and draws Bosh towards him on the drive before the hand-off dime to Otto Porter for the easy reverse:

That’s not to say Wall can’t perform the spectacular, too. Watch this four-point play right before the first-quarter buzzer when he banks in the three-pointer, plus the foul:

He also combined with Marcin Gortat for some pick-and-rolls where it’s clear he’s developed a unified symbiosis with the mohawked Polish big man. Whereas before Wall might be a little late or a little early with this lob, here he just takes the one dribble and it gives Gortat the exact amount of time he needs to dive to the rim, but not so long the defense has already contracted and then flexed as a unit to stop the play:

Click to see more Wall enhancements…

Wall’s defense has also improved, but the below play ties more so into his decision making and ability to control his all-world speed. Before he might have sprinted all the way to the other basket after stripping Dwyane Wade here in a perfectly pesky bit of help defense. Instead, during last night’s game, he dribbles the other way without going full throttle, and it allows him the time to thread the needle to Kris Humphries, rewarding his big man for running the floor — even though Humphries is fouled before he can convert:

Last, we see that killer first step of Wall’s, which he can still bust out even with all his newly found on-court maturity. If Wall’s defender is lackadaisical about getting over the screen, Wall is gone and at the iron. But that same tenet goes for the other defender guarding a Wall pick-and-roll as well. Watch Shabazz Napier step past a minor screen by Humphries here, but Humphries’ man — Bosh — is simply too slow to get over in time to prevent Wall, who is already laying it up at the cup:

The 24-year-old Wizard’s point guard made his first All Star team last season, but he’s continued to show an ability to get better. It’s his control, and his capacity to switch speeds at the proper time that’s elevated him to the upper tier of NBA point guard play.

His double-double against the Heat was just the latest example of his blossoming game.

(video via Dawk Ins)

Is John Wall a top-5 point guard today?

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